Crispy Plantain Chips: Kaya Upperi

These plantain chips are the perfect evening snack to pair with your chai/coffee. Made with raw plantains (called raw green banana in India), some turmeric, salt and oil for frying. It’s simple, SO DELICIOUS and a family favourite! Follow along with my easy step-by-step guide with photos for reference.

Inspiration for making plantain chips

I used to eat this addictive snack every day as a child! They are quite a delicacy in Kerala and you get to buy delicious freshly fried plantain chips from authentic Chip Shops/Centres.

Fun fact: I used to called plantains “raw banana” all my life in India until I travelled abroad and realised its actually plantains. So if you want real Indian plantain recipes, you are going to want to search for raw banana recipes LOL.

How to make Plantain Chips?

The recipe is very simple with basic ingredients:

Plantains: You need raw plantains for this recipe. You can get by substituting with raw bananas but they don’t taste the same.

Turmeric water for soaking plantains: In a large bowl, mix water with turmeric and let the plantains soak for about 30 minutes. This helps with the colour and also prevents the plantains from oxidising while you prep the frying oil.

Oil for frying: Traditionally these are fried in coconut oil and I do believe that gives these plantain chips the best flavour. But if that’s too expensive for you, use any regular frying oil. Make sure to fry on high heat.

Turmeric concentrate for pouring into the oil: This is the star of the show that gives the chips that classic yellow colour. Just mix turmeric powder with salt and a bit of water, pour a teaspoon of this concentrate for each batch that you fry. Make sure you fry the plantains in batches to prevent clustering.

Let me know if you try this simple plantain chips recipe. Tag @beextravegant on Instagram.

If you don’t follow me there, I think it’s time you do that. I post yummy reels about vegan recipes and everything that is edible.

If you like this recipe, check out other snacks from there blog:

• Healthy Vegan laddoo
• Baked Aloo Tikki
• Tofu masala sandwich